The tear stains on her face glistened, shimmering with a faint orange glow in the candlelight. Her long eyelashes were wet with tears and stuck together. New tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, past her small nose, and into her temples, before turning into tiny pearls and rolling off.
"Grandpa..." Wanwan was still murmuring softly, her chubby little hands clutching the corner of Wan Suizhou's blanket, her fingers curled into a small pink fist. How worried she must be to cry herself to sleep and still be so vigilant.
Xiao Qi's heart skipped a beat when he saw the unsuspecting, sleepy Wanwan.
Wanwan seemed to sense someone in front of her. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up. As she turned her head slightly, Xiao Qi saw two more tears rolling down her face.
Tears slid down the glistening tear tracks, turning into tiny white pearls as they fell onto the sheets.
Xiao Qi's brow twitched, and a hint of surprise flashed in his deep black eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, like a red carp leaping out of a black pool, leaving no other color in his eyes.
"Brother Xiao..." Wanwan vaguely saw a familiar outline and subconsciously called out to Xiao Qi.
Recalling Wanwan's evasive attitude when he inquired about water control a few days ago, Xiao Qi pretended not to have seen the strange phenomenon just now, turned around and left the door, deliberately avoiding the moment when Wanwan was about to wake up.
Wanwan had been crying for too long, and when she woke up her eyes were still blurry. She rubbed her eyes with her chubby little hands, but when she opened them again, Xiao Qi was nowhere to be seen in the room.
"Brother Xiao?" Wanwan's mind was still a bit foggy. She looked around blankly, and when she confirmed that Xiao Qi was not in the room, a small sense of disappointment welled up in her heart.
But in the blink of an eye, disappointment was replaced by hope.
Just now, while she was asleep, she suddenly remembered that mermaid blood could cure all poisons.
If Grandpa drinks his own blood, he'll get better, right?
A small glimmer of hope rekindled in Wanwan's tear-filled eyes.
This matter must not be known to anyone. Wanwan hurriedly got up from Wan Suizhou's side and thoughtfully tucked the blanket around him. Her round cat eyes were full of determination. "Grandpa, Wanwan will definitely protect you. Grandpa will get better soon."
Without delay, Wanwan rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a gleaming sharp knife when no one was around, rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find a small white porcelain bowl, rolled up her sleeves, and her plump, white arms were immediately revealed.
The sharp knife reflected half of Wanwan's small face, and for a moment Wanwan almost had the illusion that it was gleaming with a cold light.
The thought of it cutting her with painful wounds and staining her with bright red blood made Wanwan tremble like a frightened cat.
Never mind, saving Grandpa is the priority.
Wanwan hardened her heart, bit her lip with her small pearly teeth, raised her hand, held up the knife, closed her eyes, and cut down.
"Wanwan!" Xiao Qi shouted, stopping Wanwan's movement. The blade stopped just inches from Wanwan's wrist.
This was the first time Xiao Qi had shown such obvious anger; his voice almost cracked when he called out Wanwan's name.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Qi strode over, snatched the knife from Wanwan's hand without a word, grabbed her wrist, and carefully examined her. Only after confirming that she was unharmed did the surging anger and worry in his eyes slowly subside.
Wanwan rarely saw him so excited, and she was so frightened that she shrank her neck, making the little girl look even shorter.
"Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Even if Wanwan is eager to save lives, she shouldn't do such a foolish and absurd thing. Who told you to do this?"
Although his anger had subsided, Xiao Qi was still somewhat irritable, his eyes like surging waves, much like the lightning in the storm that day.
Wanwan lowered her head and used some force to try to pull her hand away. Xiao Qi noticed her helplessness and finally realized that he had been a bit rough. His eyes flickered, and a trace of suppressed guilt flashed in his eyes. He loosened his grip and gently lifted Wanwan's sleeve to cover her wrist, as if doing so could block the blade.
“No one told Wanwan,” Wanwan said, still refusing to look up, as if she had done something wrong. “It’s just…it’s just…”
Xiao Qi didn't press the matter, but felt increasingly guilty.
If he had the ability to cure Mr. Wanwan, she wouldn't have done something so outrageous.
Unbeknownst to himself, Xiao Qi had taken on the responsibility of protecting Wanwan and even the responsibility of Wanwan's mood.
"Brother Xiao, let Wanwan tell you the truth!"
Suddenly, Wanwan looked up, her round eyes filled with tears again. Her clear eyes were bloodshot, and her tired little face was covered with tear stains. As she spoke, a few more tears rolled down her cheeks, turning into pearls that tinkled and fell to the ground.
This was the first time Xiao Qi had ever seen Wanwan so grief-stricken. He was momentarily at a loss and even forgot to avoid the strange phenomenon of Wanwan's tears turning into pearls.
Wanwan wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and sobbed, "Brother Xiao, actually, actually Wanwan is a little mermaid from the sea, so Wanwan's tears can turn into many little pearls, and mermaid blood can cure all poisons, so Wanwan wanted to use her own blood to save Grandpa..."
After saying that, Wanwan burst into tears again, feeling wronged.
"Don't panic," Xiao Qi said, completely flustered for the first time in his life. "I have a way to save Mr. Wanwan, but you must promise me you won't cut yourself again."
Wanwan looked up at him through teary eyes, a hint of hesitation appearing in her usually trusting and innocent gaze.
"When has Brother Xiao ever gone back on his word?" Xiao Qi forced a reassuring smile and patted the little dumpling's head.
"Wanwan believes in Brother Xiao." The familiar sunlight once again bathed Wanwan's small face.
Night had fallen, and it was time to turn off the lights and go to bed, but Xiao Qi was still worried about this stubborn little girl. He stayed by her side on the low stool until she fell into a deep sleep before leaving her room.
With Xiao Qi's protection, Wanwan slept soundly that night, without even a dream. When she woke up again, it was already noon the next day, and the bright sunlight shone through the small window onto Wanwan's face.
Wanwan stretched lazily, and after fully waking up, she looked in the direction where Xiao Qi had been sitting the night before.
But Xiao Qi was not there.
It was her brother, Wan Yuechi.
"Wanwan, you're awake?" Wan Yuechi got up to greet her when he saw that she was awake. His eyes were also red, and he must have been crying secretly these past two days. His smile when he looked at Wanwan was particularly forced.
Wanwan looked around in confusion. "Where's Brother Xiao? He was here last night."
“Young Master Xiao?” Wan Yuechi raised an eyebrow. “He left in the middle of the night last night! I don’t know where he went, and he didn’t say goodbye to anyone. I haven’t seen him all morning.”
This was the last time Wanwan heard news of Xiao Qi before he appeared. After that day, Xiao Qi disappeared as if he had vanished into thin air.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
